News
Westhope's Angel Walk a success
Scott Wagar
06/17/2014
For Robin Tolstad and Becky Braaten, June 7 was a heavenly day for them as they held the 2014 Angel Walk in the community of Westhope for the Angel of Hope project.
The project will bring a peaceful statue of an angel to the city’s local cemetery for individuals to find comfort and hope over loved ones they have lost in their lives.
The blessed day almost didn’t happen for Tolstad and Braaten because recent rains have been so heavy in recent weeks the two ladies lost the venue they were going to utilize for the event.
However, the sun came out, warm temperatures filled the air, a new venue was found and over 300 individuals from in and around Bottineau County made their way to Westhope to participate in the Angel Walk, which turned out to be an angel sent day for all of those who participated.
According to Tolstad and Braaten, the event, which was to take place on the football field at Westhope High School, but due to the inclement weather, was moved to the school’s commons area where 18 teams walked in the event. Individuals came from Westhope, Newburg, Landa, Bottineau, Russell, Upham, Mohall and Minot.
Money was raised for the statue through a silent auction and booths the teams set-up which raised over $13,000 for the project.
“I think the event went great,” Tolstad said “The people were just fantastic.”
The Angel of Hope is an angelic statue that appears in cemeteries worldwide to give comfort to individuals who have lost a loved one.
The statue was established by Richard Paul Evan’s novel, “The Christmas Box,” which deals with a mother’s grief in a loss of a child. Within the novel, the mother mourns her loss at a base of an angel she had commissioned to be created in honor of her child. Through the conception of the statue, the mother places the word “Hope” on one of the angel’s wings, which Evan uses in the plot of his story to deal with sorrow and finding the true meaning of Christmas.
Tolstad and Braaten’s journey for an Angel of Hope really started when Braaten lost a baby to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and Tolstad lost her daughter in a car accident.
With Braaten’s and Toldstad’s losses, the two women discovered Evan’s Angel of Hope, which gave them the idea to bring the statue to Westhope so that people who have experienced loss can find hope.